


Tattoo

by CelestialVoid



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, How Do I Tag, M/M, Moving In Together, One Shot, Romantic Fluff, Tattooed Stiles Stilinski, Tattoos, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 15:06:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9497555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelestialVoid/pseuds/CelestialVoid
Summary: Stiles was helping Derek clean out the attic of the old Hale House, ready for them to move in together, when he stumbled across some of Derek’s drawings.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TooFarForward](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TooFarForward/gifts).



> This is what happens when you're sleep deprived and start talking to Emily about your OTP...

Stiles was helping Derek clean out the attic of the old Hale house, getting ready for Stiles to move in – it was a sort of ‘out with the old, in with the new’ thing. Stiles didn’t care if Derek kept his old stuff, but the man seemed hell-bent on clearing the junk out of the newly-renovated house.

Derek had left a few minutes ago to pick up pizza for dinner and Stiles had turned his attention to sorting through an old suitcase of Derek’s old books and papers.

He had sorted them into piles for Derek to look at later: ‘burnt beyond readable but possibly treasured’, ‘burnt but salvageable if rebound’, and ‘in perfectly fine condition and to be sorted by Derek’.

He had finally reached the bottom of the suitcase when he found a small black folder filled with sheets of paper.

He contemplated leaving them alone, but that thought didn’t last long. Curiosity won him over and he pulled them out to look through them.

His jaw nearly hit the floor when he saw the gorgeous illustrations. They were beautiful sketches of the forest beyond the house, of members of his family, of wolves or butterflies, of the house and so various other things, all in immense detail and incredibly realistic.

Stiles picked one out: a strong portrait of a bold wolf.

He was so entranced by it that he didn’t hear Derek’s Camaro pull up, only the sound of the front door opening and the man’s booming voice calling out his name.

“Coming,” he shouted back, panicking as he quickly stowed the picture away in his backpack.

“I hope not,” Derek called back teasingly.

Stiles grabbed his bag and raced downstairs. He stopped in the doorway to the dining room and asked, “What?”

Derek smirked at him and Stiles realised what he had said.

The boy bowed his head and bit into his lip to stop himself from smiling back at Derek. “Really?”

Derek winked at him.

“You’re incorrigible,” Stiles scolded.

“You love it,” Derek whispered as he walked around the table and pressed a kiss to Stiles’ cheek.

Stiles smiled, reaching up and looping his arms around Derek’s neck. He nuzzled his face into Derek’s and whispered, “I love you.”

 

A week later, Stiles stood outside a well decorated shop with bold golden letters spelling out ‘Leviathan’ printed across the window. It was one of the city’s most highly rated tattoo parlours, much better than that damned place where Scott got his hideous tattoo that – to this day – Stiles hated.

He had booked the appointment the day after he had found those drawings in the attic. He had sent photos and met up to finalised the details – like the colouring, position and his insistence on the wolf having bright red eyes – and check on the tattoo artist’s sketch before today.

Today was the day.

He had already explained to the artist that he had an issue with needles and if he were to pass out he wanted to continue with the tattoo. The artist had chuckled at his determination and assured him everything will be okay, even if he did pass out.

So he drew in a deep breath and stepped into the parlour.

The artist talked him through most of it and assured him that the noise is the scariest part. She talked to him about his life, his studies, his boyfriend and the tattoo: the meaning and the reason why he wanted that specific drawing.

He was lying down and staring up at the ceiling, positioned so that the tattoo artist could work on the tattoo, so at least he wouldn’t see the needles going into his skin.

Stiles kept the conversations going, talking about how incredible his boyfriend was and how this tattoo – this drawing – was his connection with Derek, and if something were to happen between them, then the wolf will be his protection and his strength.

The hours passed by swiftly and there was a wave of sweet relief when the tattoo artist sat back and said, “All done.”

 

Stiles felt his heart pounding against his chest as he walked up to the front door of the house.

He stepped inside.

The house was quiet.

“Derek?” he called.

“Yeah?” Derek shouted from the attic.

“Can you come here a minute please?”

Derek made his way downstairs, eyeing Stiles suspiciously.

Stiles reached into his backpack and picked out a plastic sleeve. He held it out for Derek.

Derek took it from him and looked down at the piece of paper.

“You found on of my old drawings?” Derek asked.

Stiles nodded.

Derek looked at him, his aventurine eyes filled with worry. “What’s wrong?”

“Please don’t freak out,” Stiles pleaded.

Derek lifted his brow quizzically.

Stiles let out a heavy sigh and rolled up his sleeve to show Derek his new tattoo.

Derek was silent.

There it was, sitting perfectly on his bicep on a small rocky ledge that was wrapped around his arm like a cuff.

A gorgeous portrait of an alpha wolf on his arm: thick black fur and glowing scarlet eyes. It stood proudly, head tilted upwards as it stared across the distance with wise eyes and a stern expression. The grey and black fur had been tattooed with such detail that it held the realism of the soft locks. It wasn’t howling or snarling like most depictions of wolves, it simply stood as a proud defender, a true guardian: a true alpha.

Derek ran his fingers across Stiles’ skin and then glanced down at the drawing in his hand. It was his drawing, now displayed on his mate’s skin.

“What do you think?” Stiles asked timidly.

“It’s gorgeous,” Derek whispered. He looked up at Stiles, meeting the boy’s gaze. “But it doesn’t matter what I think. What do you think?”

“I love it, I just wanted it to be a surprise but I also didn’t want you to be mad at me because I kind of took your drawing without your permission and then snuck round behind your back to get this done and I just felt really bad that I didn’t tell you.”

“Stiles,” Derek interrupted, his husky voice soft and calming as he shushed the boy. He cupped Stiles’ cheek and leant in closer, bringing their lips together in a tender, loving kiss. “It’s gorgeous. It’s your choice and if you’re happy with it, then so am I. I don’t care if it’s my drawing or if you didn’t tell me about it – I’m touched actually – but it yours now: you’ve brought your own meaning into it. And if I’m going to be completely honest, it looks better on your skin than on my paper. But I have to ask, do you like it?”

“I love it,” Stiles repeated.

“I love it too,” Derek whispered, kissing Stiles again. “And I love you.”

**Author's Note:**

> celestialvoid-fanfiction.tumblr.com


End file.
